Could Motorcycle Touring be the Next Big Thing for Vermont Tourism?

Eric Milano perches atop a gleaming BMW R 1200 GS. He accelerates as he leaves behind midday traffic in South Burlington, and within moments he’s slowing down to navigate a shady dirt road that meanders under lush foliage and past small dairy farms.

It’s vistas like this that Milano hopes will convince dedicated motorcycle tourists to make Vermont their next destination. Banking on the state’s scenic appeal from the back of a motorbike, he launched MotoVermont — the state’s first motorcycle touring company — last year.

“I love motorcycling, and I think it’s a really unique way to experience a place,” says the avid rider.

His timing was perfect. Milano’s business goes hand in glove with what are now the two fastest-growing segments of motorcycle culture: dual-sport riding (which combines riding on dirt and paved roads) and adventure touring. But even as motorcycle touring has grown in popularity across the United States, enthusiasts such as Milano say Vermont has been slow to capitalize on the trend, and that the state could, and should, be doing more to attract motorcycle tourists.

He hopes to fill the gap: MotoVermont is a one-stop shop for motorcycle tourists to Vermont. Milano’s company provides free pickup and drop-off for customers from the nearby airport. For between $99 a day for a lightweight Kawasaki and $179 a day for the most luxurious BMW, Milano will outfit a motorcyclist with all the essential gear and custom-tailored routes for exploring the state’s roadways.

Milano moved to Vermont 10 years ago and by now knows its back roads well. In fact, it was around the time he moved to the state that he rode his first motorcycle. “I was actually always kind of scared of motorcycles,” he reveals, but, like many riders, he was quickly hooked. Milano admits it can be a dangerous hobby. He isn’t foolhardy, but, in his estimation, “I think the risk is worth it.”

His customers have to confront that risk head-on when they sign a thick liability disclosure agreement before heading out to explore Vermont’s winding roads. Renters must be at least 25 years old and have a valid motorcycle endorsement on their driver’s licenses.

Milano’s business is the first devoted primarily to motorcycle rentals in Vermont, and his business is catching on. Last year, he says, was in many ways a trial run — and he’s already had renters from as far away as India, Denmark and Japan. He’s had plenty of domestic riders, too — everyone from business travelers who want to get out and explore, to couples setting off on New England road trips.

Kathryn Flagg

Among the many reasons Milano likes riding in Vermont, he says, is that automobile drivers here are willing to share the road — an important consideration, given that more than half of all motorcycle accidents involve another vehicle.

“The drivers here are extremely respectful,” Milano says. He speculates that it’s because “Vermonters have [an] adventurous side.” Milano is not alone in his opinion that Vermont is a great place to ride a motorcycle; Bob LoCicero, who runs the website motorcycle-vermont.com, asserts that it’s the best in New England. Riders can follow long stretches of road through rural landscapes without having to change speed too frequently. Even during peak seasons such as fall foliage, LoCicero says, plenty of roads remain lightly trafficked. All the factors that make Vermont attractive to tourists in general — friendly people, scenic views, great food — attract motorcyclists, too, he points out.

But, while other tourists may not worry about the quality of Vermont’s roads, that means everything to motorcycles: Good roads are to bikers as good snow is to skiers, LoCicero explains. Leaving aside its infrastructure issues, LoCicero says that Vermont is well positioned to take advantage of motorcycling trends. More than half of the state’s roads — 8000 of 14,000 total miles — are unpaved. (Some, he jokes, “qualify as barely paved.”) For dual-sport riders, that’s a great mix.

Milano isn’t the only entrepreneur who stands to benefit from motorcycle traffic: Increasingly, innkeepers are realizing that motorcyclists can be a valuable source of business. Carina Thorsson owns the Gray Ghost Inn on Route 100 in West Dover. Located beside a ski resort, the inn gets most of its business during the winter months — so Thorsson decided to recruit motorcyclists to fill rooms during the slower summer season.

She began marketing her inn as “motorcycle friendly.” Word spread quickly, and soon Harley-Davidson chapters were planning destination rides up to the inn. “It’s just a fantastic group of people,” says Thorsson. “Once people find out that some place or some state is motorcycle friendly, they’ll come, without a doubt.”
Milano hopes so, too. He took this reporter out for a half-day ride, which peaked in the hairpin turns of Smugglers’ Notch. High in the mountains above Jeffersonville and Stowe, the air was cool and fragrant, the road shaded by the dense forest and dramatic rock cliffs.

About The Author

Bio:
Kathryn Flagg is a Seven Days staff writer. She completed a fellowship in environmental journalism at Middlebury College, and her work has also appeared in the Addison County Independent, Wyoming Public Radio and Orion Magazine. She lives in Shoreham with her husband and son.

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